September 6th, 2010 | by Ted Thornton
Our discussion in class this morning about the absence of a central religious authority in Islam and the resultant proliferation of fatwas and counter-fatwas comes at a time when such questions have risen again in Saudi Arabia:
The Economist.com, “The Politics of Fatwas: You’re Either With Us or Against Us,” Sep. 3, 2010
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah attracted attention last year by appearing in a photograph with a group of women attending a conference. See: Lara Setrakian, “Saudi King and Crown Prince Photographed With Women,” ABC News.com, May 3, 2010
Posted in Culture, Islam, Saudi Arabia, Trends, Women | No Comments »
September 5th, 2010 | by mkorman11
American Muslims have a growing concern about their ability to fit in with American society. In the face of the harsh reaction to the proposed center near ground zero, as well as other anti-Muslim incidents, many American Muslims feel threatened. The article quotes Muslim Americans who say they are considering moving to Canada or Australia, and others who compare the anti-Muslim rhetoric to that used by Nazi Germany against the Jews.
Question for the Class: Why do you think Muslim Americans receive harsher treatment than other religious minorities?
NYtimes article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/us/06muslims.html?hp
satirical article on the onion about popular sentiment towards Islam: http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-already-knows-everything-he-needs-to-know-abou,17990/
Tags: America, NMH-PA Media Reports
Posted in Islam, Islam and the West, Media, NMH-PA Media Reports, Stereotyping, Terrorism | 2 Comments »
September 5th, 2010 | by jazlyn phelps
An arson and shooting occured at a Murfreesboro, TN mosque site within two days of each other. CNN reported that on August 28th, four construction vehicles were destroyed when a fire was set on the premise with the use of accelerants. The next day, a total of nine shots were fired near the boundries of the property, reported Knoxville News Sentinel. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is located about a mile away and purchased the site in 2009 with the intentions of building a mosque.
When asked about the project, Tennassee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey is quoted as saying, “You could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, cult, whatever you want to call it.”
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/03/tennessee-mosque-site-fire-an-arson-feds-say/?hpt=T2
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/aug/29/shots-fired-near-murfreesboro-mosque-site/
Would something like this have happened before the NYC mosque debate?
Posted in Islam and Politics, Islam and the West, NMH-PA Media Reports, Stereotyping | 1 Comment »
September 5th, 2010 | by ggonzalez
As mentioned in class, the governments in the Arabian Peninsula have had to deal with restive Shia populations at times. In the case of Bahrain, that population actually accounts for the majority of the overall citizens.
This story from BBC describes most recent relations between the government and Shia activists.
Posted in Islam, Islam and Politics, Sectarianism | No Comments »
September 4th, 2010 | by Ted Thornton
Pakistan’s Taliban claimed responsibility for a pair of bombings this past week that targetted Shiites and killed more than 90 people.
Story from Voice of America
Posted in Pakistan, Sectarianism, Terrorism | No Comments »
September 4th, 2010 | by Ted Thornton
There are signs a power struggle may be taking shape in Egypt over who will succeed 82 year old President Hosni Mubarak: his son Gamal, who would be the first non-military man to become president since the 1952 revolution, or the Chief of Intelligence, General Omar Suleiman, a highly respected armed forces insider.
Story at the BBC
More on Egypt
Posted in Egypt, Politics (General) | 1 Comment »
September 3rd, 2010 | by Ted Thornton
Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Sept. 3, 2010
The Arabic word at top right is “Negotiations…” The two guys fighting represent the feuding Palestinian factions, the PNA (ruling the West Bank) and HAMAS (ruling Gaza). Note the expression on the Israeli negotiator’s face.
Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict | No Comments »
September 2nd, 2010 | by aokamura
Today as the leaders of Israel and Palestine, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Mahmoud Abbas met in Washington DC, they discussed ways and future plans for ending the conflict between the two. Sitting on either side of United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, the two men brought up many issues including the fact that both sides would have to make painful and unfortunate sacrifices.
The talks included issues on the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, the recent killings, land, and other recent conflicts resulting in violence. Hillary Clinton said that the US was willing to support both countries fully in their efforts to create peace.
Link: US hails ‘constructive’ direct Middle East peace talks
Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, NMH-PA Media Reports | 1 Comment »
September 2nd, 2010 | by ggonzalez
As mentioned in class today, President Mubarak has been governing Egypt since 1981, when his predecessor Anwar Sadat was assassinated by militants. While it may seem to some within the country that Mubarak has grown synonymous with the office of president, there are indications that it may soon be time for a new president. The two leading candidates are his son Gamal Mubarak, a businessman who lacks military credentials, and General Oman Suleiman, a long-time establishment figure within the military.
This article from the BBC discusses the subtle ways the two have been talked up most recently as possible successors.
Posted in Egypt, Politics (General) | 1 Comment »
